Howick and Pakuranga Times : Howick and Pakuranga Times Monday June 9 2014

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14 — Howick and Pakuranga Times, Monday, June 9, 2014
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MOST dwellings in a rental
housing ‘warrant of fitness’
field trial did not pass at
least one checklist criteria.
Of the 144 houses assessed,
only eight (six per cent),
passed all items on the draft
WOF checklist. However,
most homes failed on only a
handful of the 31 inspection
targets.
The trial was the first step in a
collaborative project aimed at
making rental housing safer,
healthier and more energy
efficient. The overall condition
of the homes participating
was good, says Dr Julie
Bennett of the University of
Otago, Wellington. Work is
now underway to tweak it.
The properties in Auckland,
Tauranga, Wellington,
Christchurch and Dunedin
were given the once-
over by home assessment
experts earlier this year. The
pilot was designed to test
whether draft warrant of
fitness (WOF) checklists and
methodologies were practical
for landlords, assessors and
tenants.
It was found that 36 per
cent of the houses that went
through the field trial would
pass all of the draft WOF
criteria with fairly minor fixes,
about $50 to $150 worth.
Items attracting most
attention during the trial
included whether houses
needed a ‘fixed’ form of
heating such as a heat pump
or wood burner. And many
of the houses lacked working
smoke alarms.
The top five checklist items
the houses did not pass were:
Failing the water temperature
check (40 per cent), no
working smoke alarm within
three metres of the bedroom
(30%), lack of code-compliant
handrails and balustrades
(31%), no fixed form of
heating (37%), failing the
security stays check (38%).
Also, 29 per cent of houses
failed for not having adequate
ceiling insulation.
Several national surveys and
research studies have shown
that private rental housing
is in poorer condition than
social housing or houses that
are owner-occupied.
More than 70 per cent of
children who live in poverty
live in rental accommodation
(20 per cent Housing New
Zealand and 50 per cent in
private rentals).
Research has shown that, in
general, rental houses have
more quality issues, such
as being cold, damp and
hard to heat, compared with
owner-occupied. And most
vulnerable people live in
rental housing.
Cold and damp housing
increases the burden of
health issues and unsafe
housing has led to more
people being injured in the
home than anywhere else.
More than a third of the
roughly 1.7 million claims ACC
receives every year are for
injuries that happen in and
around the home.
People are encouraged to
look out for things, such as
adequate power outlets in
rooms so cords don’t have to
run across walkways.
Safe access to the front door
is also important. The WOF
looks for things such as well-
structured steps, handrails
and good outdoor lighting.
About 280,000 claims are
made each year as the result
of falls in and around the
home.
■ With 14 years experience
under his belt, Terry le Grove
is the new president of
the NZ Property Investors’
Federation (NZPIF).
■ Housing Minister Dr Nick
Smith says more building
consents were issued in
Auckland in the year to April
2014, up 41 per cent on the
same period the year before,
and more than in any other
12-month period since the
year to February 2007.
Rental housing assessed
RENTAL HOUSING DEMAND: Many rental houses lack a fixed
form of heating, such as a heat pump or wood burner.
Photography supplied